California Dystopia: Climate Change & Social Collapse through Sci-Fi

3550 Trousdale Parkway,Los Angeles CA 90089

09 March, 2022

Description

A discussion exploring California as it increasingly resembles the dystopia of Octavia Butler’s classic novel, Parable of the Sower. In the fall of 2020, when wildfires turned the once-blue skies of California into a glowing orange hellscape—all amid a viral pandemic marked by severe racial and social disparities and protests over police violence against communities of color—some of the darkest fiction about California’s future seemed especially prescient. Moderated by Los Angeles Times culture columnist Carolina A. Miranda, a wide-ranging panel including climate resiliency expert John Bwarie, Octavia Butler scholar Ayana A. H. Jamieson, science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson, and climate scientist Daniel Swain will try to make sense of a California that increasingly resembles the dystopia of Butler’s classic novel Parable of the Sower. Were the historic wildfires of 2020 an aberration—or the new normal? How do social and environmental distress amplify each other? Do fictional depictions of California’s future inform, encourage, or hinder efforts to build a better future? And can utopian visions still play a role? Prior to the discussion, digital artist Erik Loyer of Opertoon and a team of students from the Ahmanson Lab at the USC Sidney Harman Academy for Polymathic Study will share their speculative vision of California’s future in the form of an immersive digital work, accompanied by an exhibition of rare and unique materials from the USC Libraries’ collections. Click to read more. COVID-19 Health and Safety: Masks are required for all attendees, vaccinated or unvaccinated.All persons accessing USC campuses must complete Trojan Check, USC's daily wellness assessment, on the day of their visit. In addition to Trojan Check, all persons age 12 and older will be required to show proof of vaccination to enter campus. Either a physical CDC-issued vaccine card or a digital copy will be accepted. As an alternative, guests may show a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of the event. Proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test must be accompanied by a photo ID. For more information, please visit the updated campus access protocols page. Presented by USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Organized by Nathan Masters, Curtis Fletcher, and Bo Doub (USC Libraries). Photo by Ray ChavezParable of the Sower graphic novel art by John Jennings